This invention relates to reproducing apparatus and in particular to the cleaning station of an automatic reproducing apparatus.
In automatic reproduction apparatus an image formed on an image support surface such as a xerographic drum may be transferred to a first sheet of support material such as paper. Following the transfer of the image, the xerographic image support surface is cleaned for the next image producing cycle. To transfer the image to the first support member, the support members are separately fed from a supply to the transfer station. It sometimes happens with some paper feeders, that double sheet feeding of paper to the transfer station may occur. When this does happen it also frequently happens that following transfer of the image to the paper, the outside sheet of paper is stripped from the image support surface while the inside sheet of paper remains tacked to the image support surface. In that situation the outside sheet of paper continues on normally within the automatic reproducing apparatus through the image fixing station and other processing stations into the output station. In the process this stripped sheet of paper satisfies all the paper jam detection logic of the machine and the machine continues to run without automatically shutting down. While the stripped sheet is passing automatically from the reproducing apparatus, the second sheet remaining tacked to the image support surface enters the cleaner housing and frequently disappears within the housing. Eventually the paper within the cleaner housing will foul the operation of the cleaner housing requiring that machine operation be discontinued and giving rise to removal of the paper and possible major service adjustment from a skilled technician.
In addition, it sometimes happens that even with a single sheet feed of paper from the paper supply to the transfer station, the sheet will remain tacked to the image support surface. If in this instance the jam detection devices or the logic system fails to respond in time the paper will enter the cleaner housing and the same difficulty will be encountered.